The present invention relates to optical projection systems and methods, and, more particularly, to hemispherical optical projection systems and methods.
High-resolution hemispherical projection systems often use multiple projectors placed around a display surface. These systems, however, may require significant alignment and upkeep, including edge blending and color matching. For example, these “tiled” images may be blended at the edges to create a single continuous image. Edge blending techniques have generally evolved so that the resulting high-resolution image is acceptable. Rear projection systems may be expensive and may require a room that is on average twice as big as the display surface. In front projection systems, the projectors may need to be individually mounted and, again, may require a relatively large volume room. Once the projectors are individually positioned, the task of aligning them to allow for edge blending may be relatively tedious. This alignment procedure may need to be repeated at regular intervals based on such factors as changes in temperature, humidity, and vibration, and/or whenever the system is moved.